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Thursday, 500 volunteers with The Visiting Nurses Association Meals on Wheels are delivering 3,700 meals to Dallas County residents who are home-bound for the holiday. (Published Thursday, Nov 28, 2013)

Updated at 9:06 AM CST on Thursday, Nov 28, 2013

Thursday morning, 500 volunteers with The Visiting Nurses Association Meals on Wheels Volunteers are delivering 3,700 meals to Dallas County residents who are homebound for the holiday -- a scene duplicated at numerous charity organizations across North Texas Thursday morning.

Workers fired up the ovens well before sunrise Thursday to cook 800 pounds of turkey, along with cornbread, stuffing, gravy and spinach.

Hungry seniors will also receive a roll and fruit as part of their Thanksgiving feast.

Routes average five stops and take about one hour, but for the residents, volunteers deliver much more than a meal. Many would be alone on the holiday and look forward to visiting with the volunteers.

Every day, the Dallas County Meals on Wheels serves 4,000 homebound residents who qualify for the dietician-coordinated meals based on income.

There are 2,800 more on the waiting list, but the organization's biggest need is for more volunteer drivers. Currently, only 46 percent of the meals are delivered by volunteers, the rest are paid drivers. For every route a volunteer delivers instead of a paid driver, VNA can save enough to feed a senior for an entire week.

Additionally, those wishing to help could sponser a person in need for $1,500 per year.